Can the New York Rangers Defend Home Ice Against the Feisty Pittsburgh Penguins?

The Pittsburgh Penguins will head to the World’s Most Famous Arena at Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Rangers on Friday evening. This is only the second of four games against one another in the regular season, as Pittsburgh won 1-0 at home on February 26. These teams are competing for that top spot in the division as the Penguins are currently second in the Metropolitan Division (40-18-5, 85 points) while the Rangers are technically in third place (38-16-9, 85 points). 

This game means a lot for both franchises, so both teams should end up putting their best foot forward. Let’s take a deeper dive into the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers and decide where we should be betting our money in this one.

The Young Leadership of the New York Rangers Should be the Difference Maker

Left winger Jake Guentzel has been doing well this season as he is tied for 16th in the NHL in goals and tied for 28th in points as he has 61 points (29 goals, 32 assists) with three points scored in his last five games. As a team, Pittsburgh is scoring 3.21 goals on 34.9 shot attempts. Goaltender Tristan Jarry has dominated this season as he is 31-12-6 with 2.28 goals allowed per game and a .922 save percentage. On the defensive side of things, the Penguins are giving up 2.57 goals on 30.4 shots against them. 

The Rangers have been scoring pretty well as they are averaging 2.91 goals on 28.6 shots. Left winger Artemi Panarin has been doing extremely well this season as he is currently third in hockey in assists and 14th in the NHL in points as he has produced 72 points (16 goals, 56 assists) and has posted nine points in his previous five games. Defensively, New York has done very well for themselves as they are allowing 2.51 goals on 32.2 shot attempts so far. Goalie Igor Shesterkin has been nothing short of phenomenal in the ice as he is 30-8-3 and is leading the league with a .938 save percentage and 2.05 goals allowed per game this year. 

Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers Betting Prediction

With two of the greatest goalies in the sport squaring off, there are not going to be many goals scored here. Both teams are pretty even on both sides of the ice, so this should be a repeat of their first game where there are not many goal-scoring opportunities. The Penguins are 31-32 against the spread this year, while the Rangers are 32-31 against the spread. Go with the road team Pittsburgh Penguins to cover the puck line in this game getting 1.5 goals here.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.